Patterns of Use, Cessation Behavior and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Smoking in Saudi Arabia: a Cross-Sectional Multi-Step Study

Abstract

Smoking is accountable for the fatality of a substantial number of persons and increases the likelihood of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Although data have shown high prevalence rates of cigarette smoking in Saudi Arabia, relatively little is known about the broader scope. The objectives of this study were to investigate socio-demographic factors, patterns of use and cessation behavior associated with smoking in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study utilized a cross-sectional, multi-step design of sampling. Residents (N=1,497; aged 15 years and older) were recruited from seven administrative areas in Southwest Saudi Arabia. A pretested questionnaire was utilized to obtain data on participant cigarette smoking, including their daily use, age, education, income, marital status and employment status. The current study is the first of its kind to gather data cessation behavior of Saudi subjects. With the exception of 1.5% females, all the respondents were male. The majority of the respondents were married, had a university level of education, were employed, and were younger than 34 years old. The same trends were also observed among smokers' samples. The current prevalence of cigarette smoking was 49.2% and 65.7% of smokers had smoking at less than 18 years of age. The mean daily use amongst smokers was 7.98 cigarettes (SD=4.587). More than 50% of the study sample had tried at least once to quit smoking. However, 42% of the smokers participating had never. On the other hand, about 25% of the respondents were willing to consider quitting smoking in the future. Modeling of cigarette smoking suggested that the most significant independent predictors of smoking behavior were geographic area, gender, marital status, education, job and age. Considerable variation in smoking prevalence was noted related with participant sociodemographics. Findings recommend the necessity for control and intervention programs in Saudi community.

Cross-sectional Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Male and Female Medical Students in Qassim University – College of Medicine Saudi Arabia

“…According to CVD risk factors, the result of this analysis showed the history of smoking in males was 9.6%, while there was no history of smoking in females (Table 2). Overall, these findings were in accordance with the findings reported in a cross-sectional study, which showed that the prevalence of smoking in Saudi Arabia is 49.2% and 1.5% of them are females [11]. This may be due to social factors, stress, and academic loads which make some people to smoke cigarettes as a way to decrease stress.…”

Smoking-Related Social Control in Indonesian Single-Smoker Couples

“…In countries such as Bangladesh, China and Timor-Leste, the ratio of male to female smokers reaches over 10:1 [16,17], suggesting that single-smoker couples are also common in these countries. However, studies among Bangladeshi and Saudi smokers have shown that being married does not predict smoking cessation [18,19]. Studies among Chinese smokers have suggested that non-smoking wives have a limited influence on smoking cessation and report that smokers ignore their wives' interventions to make them stop smoking [20].…”

Factors associated with smoking cessation and smoking cessation interventions in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

“…The intention to quit among school-age youths was associated with the level of tobacco consumptions, the perceived knowledge about the dangers of smoking, and the cost of tobacco 18. Recently, Abdelwahab et al19 assessed adult smokers’ perception of the effectiveness of cessation interventions. The majority agreed that school-based intervention and media awareness are proactive approaches, and 70.9% of participants believed that NRT is an effective method for cessation 19…”